Fragile
by Just Silver
Summary: Sequel to Marble Angel. Ron takes it upon himself to settle Lucius and Harry's differences. Lucius/Harry Slash.
1. The Longest Day

a/n: To explain about the sequel bit: Marble Angel had reached it's natural ending. Any effort to continue that particular fic would've been strained and choppy. The storyline, however, still lives and that's what will continue in this fic.  
  
Warnings: Cross generational slash, as in two guys with significant age differences getting physical and emotional. If that makes you feel all warm and queasy inside, please find a fic more to your liking. If you must flame, please say something helpful and intelligent.  
  
Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. They're Rowling's.  
  
Thank you so much for your support of a pairing born out of desperation. Your kind words mean so much to me. Thank you PepperJackCandy, Fleur Rochard, Couscous Girl, coqui, Rubicon, Red Joker, minna, Anneclaire, Redhawk, IceFire, Moonbabe, angelstar, CaratGold, Mystica, Foxsong, moira, Goddess, Winged One, ostia, Midnight Reader, Minime, and Jivanna.  
  
The point of view has changed. Harry is no longer our narrarator. We require a diferent set of eyes.  
  
***  
  
In five years I have learned that there are two ways of doing things: the way other people do things and how Harry does things. Other people are orphaned. harry's parents were killed by the darkest wizard ever. Other people don't get along with their families. Harry's family kept him in a closet for years. (H'm, the irony...) Other people play quidditch. Harry is the youngest house player in over a century.  
  
I can accept the fact that he's gay. It happens. Way to go! Make it sound like some horrible thing. That's not what I meant. I meant that's just how things turn out. Like I have red hair. I didn't ask for it; I just have it. He can't help it. Besides, I knew that he was gay already. Mention girls around him and he freezes and gets this look on his face like you told him he was going to spend eternity with Snape. I don't care which sex he prefers as long as he's still my best friend. It's when you jump the species barrier that I have to intervene. Malfoys aren't human. They're citizens of the republic of hell.  
  
It makes perfect sense that Harry would fall for Lucius Malfoy. really it does. he's everything Harry's not. He's old. Not ancient, 'where are my teeth?' kind of old, but he's still too old for Harry. His son is our age for Christ's sake! And he's evil. Anybody who would even consider getting the dark mark has some serious darkness inside. That kind of stuff doesn't just vanish. I would be absolutely ecstatic that Harry had found someone to care about and finally got shagged. I wouldn't even mind vague details. Wait. Is that possible? No...I don't think it is. I wouldn't mind if he felt like sharing up to a certain point. But why, of all the people on this godforsaken planet, did he have to choose Lucius Malfoy?!!!  
  
Breathe. Calm down, Weasley. Think calming, supportive thoughts. It's okay. this is probably a phase. It will pass. Better yet, maybe this is a dream. You'll wake up and laugh at the very idea of your best friend screwing Malfoy's father...Ew! Badbadbad mental picture. Okay, I deserved that. Serves me right for having an unsupportive moment. Ah, speak of the devil!  
  
Harry slunk into the room. He looked drained. "Well?" I asked softly. He looked up tiredly.   
"Lucius is alive. He's disguised as Lupin."  
"Is that where you were last night?" He nodded glumly.  
"Then what's that look for?"  
"What look?"  
"The sad, kicked-puppy look."  
"I don't look like a puppy! And I'm not sad. This is me being happy."  
"That look doesn't say happy. It says 'shoot me and put me out of my misery'."   
"Then do it."  
"I beg your pardon?"  
"Shoot me."  
"I take it things didn't go well."  
"Things went fabulous. I confronted him. We kissed. We shagged." It's amazing how fragile he looks. There something so delicate about him.  
"So what's the problem?"  
"we're done."  
"Done?"  
"Done. Finished. Terminated. dead." Dead. interesting choice of words. I wonder if this has indeed killed him.  
  
"Tell me about it?" I asked. I'm not sure I want to know, but if he doesn't tell me, he'll just bottle it up like he does everything else. He thinks that I don't know that there are moments when he feels absolutely desolate, but I know all too well. He shook his head. I patted a spot next to me on my bed. Reluctantly he came over. I gave him a quick hug. He looked shocked.   
"What was that for?"  
"Today will be a long day."  
"The longest day of the year," he sighed.   
  
***  
So...how's that for a beginning? Review!  
  
love,  
J. Silver 


	2. A Challenge

A/N: My apologies for being so lax in updating. I just got kinda distracted and it took me awhile to return to this idea, but by the kindness of your reviews, I have gotten over it and hope to be more consistent about updating in the future.  
  
Thank you all of you who still continue to tell me how much you enjoyed this fic's predecessors.   
  
Special thanks to those of you who reviewed chapter one: Rube, Lady Akita, Kelly, stormyfire, Nita, Kristen, Kelly, ssmokey, Gilles + Couscous Girl, Mistress Vixen, Rubicon, CaratGold, Nuriko No Tenshi, Mystica!, sleepytee, Foxglove, IceFire, el, anonymous, MiniMe, Annclaire, Redhawk, Fluer, and Minna! *mwah*  
  
***  
  
The next day Harry wasn't any better. Or the day after that or the day after that or the day after that. I wanted to shake him and tell him to cheer up, but telling a depressed person to cheer up is like telling a paralyzed person to walk. If he could, wouldn't he be doing it already? I kept my mouth shut and watched longing eat away at him with big, audible bites. I stopped paying attention in Defense Against Dark Arts. I made good use of the time though. I've come up with 58 ways to kill Lucius Malfoy. Number 57 involves a duck and a safety pin...but that's a story for some other day. Juvenile? Of course, but it has immense therapeutic value.  
  
Four days since Harry last spoke to the Bastard, Sr. Did I mention I hate Malfoys? Draco is an arrogant, insufferable bastard and his father is toast. I will go insane if I have to spend one more day deprived of my best friend. It looks like Harry, but I'll bet at the base of his spine is a plate that says "Hi! I'm Miserable Harry from the planet Gloom. The word 'happy' and related terms are not part of my vocabulary. Any attempts to add them will end in massive failure. Have a nice day!" I'm tempted to look. I'll think I'll talk to him instead.  
  
After classes, Harry and I go upstairs to drop off our books. I lock the dormitory door behind us, cringing as I thought of what Seamus and Dean would say if they busted the door down and I had had to use some extreme method to force a confession out of Harry.   
  
"Talk to me."  
"What about?" he asks offhandedly, tossing his books on his bed.  
"What's the one thing you don't talk about?" His face closes up immediately.  
"There's a reason I don't talk about it."  
"Do you want to end up repressed like Percy? I've seen that road and it's not pretty."   
  
There's a moment of silence as he thinks about this. He smiles, but there's something odd about his smile and I don't like it at all. He walks toward me, hips swaying ever so slightly.  
  
"What would you like to know?" he asks, his voice a quiet purr. Damn him. And now I almost pity Lucius Malfoy because for the first time in my life I understand Ginny's quietly obsessive crush on Harry.   
"Anything you want to tell me," I reply, surprised to find that I meant it. He moves closer, our faces inches apart and he moves ever so slightly, bringing his lips to my ear.   
"Shall I tell you what it does to me when he's not here? Or what it felt like to wake up in his arms and how good he feels inside me? Is that what you want to know?"   
  
That is so unfair. He knows that's not what I want and he simply radiates heat and energy and Heaven and Mum help me but I just had the sudden urge to throw him on my bed and shag him senseless.  
  
"Stop it," I whisper, my voice shaky.  
"Stop what?"  
"Stop trying to make me so unconfident about my sexuality that I become nervous and stop asking you questions." He smirks, pressing up against me.  
"Is it working?"   
"Absolutely not," I lie. He backs off, smiling.  
"Damn. Well, it was worth a shot."  
"You bastard."  
  
He ignores my insult, sitting on my bed and tucking his legs under him. He looks lost in thought. I feel like I'm intruding. Like I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't know what I know and I shouldn't be angry with him for whatever happened under what must have been extraordinary circumstances.   
  
"I miss him," he says simply.  
"How can you-" miss someone who is right in front of you? But then I realized how absolutely stupid that question was.   
"Miss such a sodding bastard?" he finishes.  
"I wasn't going to say that."  
"You were thinking it."  
"I wasn't thinking it either."  
"Liar." He sighs. " I miss him, I miss his presence."  
"Yeah, must be hard living without that toxicity." Holy shit! I did not mean to say that! Honestly, the words just popped out of my mouth on their own accord.   
  
"I'm sorry."  
"I understand, but you don't know what it's like to be near him. He scares me, to be quite frank, and I know that he could hurt me in ways I couldn't possibly imagine, but he doesn't and I find that damn sexy." Wow. That was- insightful. I blink several times.  
"I say this to you as someone who loves you dearly. Shag someone else. Anyone. Wait- anyone in our age bracket. Anyone in our age bracket who is not my sister." He laughs. "I'm serious. Do it and see if you feel the same way about them as you feel about him."  
  
He thinks for a second, impossibly and adorably somber.   
  
"Alright," he says. "I'll try."  
  
***  
Suggestions for the lucky person Harry tries to bed next? Review and let me know!  
  
Love ya!  
J. Silver 


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